[chris]

Altenburg, Germany, was hit by severe flooding in 2021 after exceptional rainfall.

Between 150 and 250 liters of rain per square meter fell across parts of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia over two days. Earlier rain had already saturated the ground, leaving little capacity to absorb more water.

Water levels in the region exceeded previous records, in some places by roughly double. Along the Ahr River, water-level gauges failed early in the evening as the flood intensified.